Natural Approach to Biology
This year I entered the world of high school level science. There are many great books and programs out there. Apologia science is probably the most well-known in the home school world. It is a solid program with a text, lab work, tests, etc. However after years of observing nature, reading great informative books, and raising tadpoles in a fish bowl, I was having a hard time adjusting to the more traditional approach with Apologia.
For our other subjects, we learn with my version of the Charlotte Mason approach. We read great living books, we study the Bible, we do copy work and dictation, etc. If you are unfamiliar with her ideas about education, please read her The Original Home Schooling Series or Karen Andreola’s interpretation of Ms. Mason’s approach in A Charlotte Mason Companion. Websites like Ambleside Online and Simply Charlotte Mason are great resources as well.
The purpose of this article is not to argue the points of Charlotte Mason’s ideas and theories, but rather to find a natural and enjoyable approach to learning high school science. My son is currently studying Biology. In my search to make the Apologia Biology course more Charlotte Mason friendly I ran into an awesome website. A home schooling mom put it together after her son took the Biology course. She goes by Harmony Art Mom. Click on her name to go to her site.
She has done all the work for you. She has taken each module in Apologia Biology and added books, projects, ideas, etc. to make it a more natural approach than reading and following a textbook. I really liked her ideas.
After much online research I decided to purchase “Biology 101” from Westfield Studios. It is a four disc set of DVDs, which teaches Biology according to the days of creation. It won 1st place in the Creation category at Vision Forum’s 2004 Independent Christian Film Festival. Even though the intended audience is high school students, the videos are interesting and suitable for the entire family.
Most reviews of this product were great. The most common criticism was that it was not meaty enough for a complete Biology course. I tend to agree; however, I love the fact that it follows the days of creation. My son loves to watch informative science-based television programs. He is a huge fan of Planet Earth and MythBusters. He enjoys watching the videos by Dr. Jobe Martin, “Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution.” Therefore, I thought that this DVD course would be a great supplement to Apologia.
Funny things happen, though. Not everything goes according to my plans. The more I tried to figure out where to fit in the videos, the more I only wanted to follow the video course and not the textbook course. So, that is what we are doing now. We are switching midstream.
We are going to use the DVD course, “Biology 101″, as our Biology spine. Using books from the library like biographies on Carl Linnaeus and/or Louis Pasteur as well as Anna Comstock’s great book, Handbook of Nature Study, we are going to enrich the video course and our understanding of Biology. Filling up our Creation Notebooks with our observations, experiments, lab notes, etc, my son will have record of what he has done. I intend to still find useful experiments from the Apologia course even though it has gone from the spine of our course to a supplemental resource. For example, he is chomping at the bit to dissect his specimens. With this approach to Biology he will get to dissect the fish when he is studying about the aquatic creature of the 5th Day of Creation.
The beauty of this switch is that I am happy, my son is excited, and my whole family is going to learn along with him. The younger children can watch the videos, go on nature study walks, fill in his/her own creation notebooks, and learn on his/her own level. When I finish the year of Biology with my oldest, I will fine-tune my ideas and share them with you. If you have any ideas, books, or websites to share with me, I welcome it. Please do not hesitate. And before I know it, I will soon be needing a natural approach to Chemistry.
My daughter is doing Biology this year and will be thrilled with some of your ideas. We are using Apologia, but are always looking for ways to supplement.
We also use a CM style approach and started “high school” this year. We have the book Real Science For Kids Biology – the best price is Amazon. We are using this with all the kids – this is what CM is great for right
I used the contact form a few day ago, but not sure you got it. I am thinking we are not too far from you! Your article in Countryside was great too – I am passing in on to some friends…lots of friends actually
Oh yes – and they also have Chemistry and Physics, but I dont own those (yet!). They are pretty simple and I just read out of them and have my daughter write me a summary (usually with pictures) and the babies draw about what I read. They really enjoy all doing it together – and we are all about them learning, living, and playing together
Beverly,
Thank you. Unfortunately I did not receive any contact from you. My email address is laradehaven@texashomesteader.com. Feel free to use it. I really appreciate the word of mouth. It helps.
Thanks again,
Lara